"Rats are incredibly good swimmers. And they can climb." Ostfeld added: "Rats are highly social individuals and live in a fairly stable social structure. If this storm disturbs that, rats could start infesting areas they never did before."

The biggest problem here is that it could increase the risk of infectious disease. According to Huffington Post, urban rats carry several diseases including: leptospirosis, hantavirus, typhus, salmonella, and... the plague. These diseases are not only spread by bite, but are also in rat feces and urine.

And Ostfeld doesn't think this is something we should take lightly:

"It's not just about the high winds and rain. A rat disturbance is something we should be concerned about."